Patentable/Patents/US-8498767
US-8498767

Power-supply control apparatus of vehicle

PublishedJuly 30, 2013
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle comprises a first electricity-storage device to supply electric power to a starter for starting engine, a generator to convert kinetic energy of the vehicle during a vehicle deceleration to electric energy for energy recovery, a second electricity-storage device coupled to the generator to store the electric power from the generator thereat, a feeder circuit coupling the second electricity-storage device to an electric load with a relatively-small electric-load capacity via a DC/DC convertor, a coupling line coupling the second electricity-storage device to the first electricity-storage device via a coupling relay, and a controller to control the electric power passing through the feeder circuit and the coupling line, wherein the controller executes a control to make the coupling relay on the coupling line in an OFF state when the starter operates.

Patent Claims
12 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle, comprising: a first electricity-storage device to supply electric power to a starter for starting engine; a generator to convert kinetic energy of the vehicle during a vehicle deceleration to electric energy for energy recovery; a second electricity-storage device coupled to the generator to store the electric power from the generator thereat; a feeder circuit coupling the second electricity-storage device to an electric load via a DC/DC convertor; a coupling line coupling the second electricity-storage device to the first electricity-storage device via a coupling relay; and a controller to control the electric power passing through the feeder circuit and the coupling line, wherein said controller executes a control to make the coupling relay on said coupling line in an OFF state when said starter operates.

2

2. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said electric load comprises plural electric loads with a relatively-small electric-load capacity.

3

3. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising: an auto-stop controller to automatically stop the engine when a condition for automatically stopping is met and to automatically restart the engine by operating said starter when a condition for automatically restarting is met; and a voltage detector to detect a voltage of said second electricity-storage device, wherein said auto-stop controller is prohibited from automatically stopping the engine in a case in which the voltage of the second electricity-storage device detected by said voltage detector is a specified value or smaller.

4

4. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said second electricity-storage device is a capacitor which has a quicker charge-and-discharge performance than said first electricity-storage device.

5

5. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 3 , wherein said second electricity-storage device is a capacitor which has a quicker charge-and-discharge performance than said first electricity-storage device.

6

6. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said controller executes a control to stop outputting of said DC/DC convertor in a case in which the electric power stored at said second electricity-storage device is consumed and decreased below a specified value necessary for restarting engine when the engine is in an automatically-stop state.

7

7. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 3 , wherein said controller executes a control to stop outputting of said DC/DC convertor in a case in which the electric power stored at said second electricity-storage device is consumed and decreased below a specified value necessary for restarting engine when the engine is in an automatically-stop state.

8

8. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 6 , wherein when the outputting of the DC/DC convertor is stopped, the electric power from said first electricity-storage device is supplied to said electric load.

9

9. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 7 , wherein when the outputting of the DC/DC convertor is stopped, the electric power from said first electricity-storage device is supplied to said electric load.

10

10. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1 , in a case in which a large amount of electric current is consumed by said electric load, said controller executes a control to supply an electric current generated by said generator to said first electricity-storage device so that consumption of the electric power by said second electricity-storage device is restrained.

11

11. The power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle of claim 3 , in a case in which a large amount of electric current is consumed by said electric load, said controller executes a control to supply an electric current generated by said generator to said first electricity-storage device so that consumption of the electric power by said second electricity-storage device is restrained.

12

12. A power-supply control apparatus of a vehicle, comprising: a first electricity-storage device to supply electric power to a starter for starting engine; a generator to convert kinetic energy of the vehicle during a vehicle deceleration to electric energy for energy recovery; a second electricity-storage device coupled to the generator to store the electric power from the generator thereat, the second electricity-storage device being a capacitor which has a quicker charge-and-discharge performance than said first electricity-storage device; a feeder circuit coupling the second electricity-storage device to an electric load via a DC/DC convertor; a coupling line coupling the second electricity-storage device to the first electricity-storage device via a coupling relay; a controller to control the electric power passing through the feeder circuit and the coupling line; an auto-stop controller to automatically stop the engine when a condition for automatically stopping is met and to automatically restart the engine by operating said starter when a condition for automatically restarting is met; and a voltage detector to detect a voltage of said second electricity-storage device, wherein said controller executes a control to make the coupling relay on said coupling line in an OFF state when said starter operates, said auto-stop controller is prohibited from automatically stopping the engine in a case in which the voltage of the second electricity-storage device detected by said voltage detector is a specified value or smaller, said controller executes a control to stop outputting of said DC/DC convertor in a case in which the electric power stored at said second electricity-storage device is consumed and decreased below a specified value necessary for restarting engine when the engine is in an automatically-stop state, when the outputting of the DC/DC convertor is stopped, the electric power from said first electricity-storage device is supplied to said electric load, and in a case in which a large amount of electric current is consumed by said electric load, said controller executes a control to supply an electric current generated by said generator to said first electricity-storage device so that consumption of the electric power by said second electricity-storage device is restrained.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

May 17, 2012

Publication Date

July 30, 2013

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Cite as: Patentable. “Power-supply control apparatus of vehicle” (US-8498767). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8498767

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